Hotel range



May 1934- o. A. COLBY ET AL 1,958,387

HOTEL RANGE Filed May 23, 1931 WITNESSES; INVENTORS 22 One /I. folby and37 1F" ,4 Karl zmofi.

Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOTEL RANGE VaniaApplication May 23, 1931, Serial No. 539,562

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to electric ranges and particularly to supportingmeans for electric heating elements therein;

An object of our invention is to provide a re- 5. siliently mountedsupport for a heating element of an electric range.

Another object of our invention is to provide a supporting frame for anelectric heating element, which frame shall be so supported in a rigidsupporting structure that it shall be free to expand without stressingthe rigid support.

Another object of our invention is to provide a supporting frame forelectric heating elements that shall be so supported in a rigidsupporting 15. structure that it shall be free to expand withoutstressing the supporting frame, thereby preventing the buckling orwarping of the heater-supporting frame.

In practicing our invention, we provide, on a suitable range structure,a rigid frame at the top thereof which is relatively heavy andunyielding. We locate therein extended metal members secured together toconstitute a supporting frame to support a plurality of flat heatingelements,

the extended metal members being supported in the rigid skeleton frameby means which permit the expansion of the metal frame members withoutstressing the rigid skeleton frame.

In the single sheet of drawing,

Figure 1 is a view, mainly in front elevation, with certain portionsshown in section, of an electric range embodying our invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the elements more particularly embodyingour invention,

Fig. 3 is a view in lateral section through the structure shown in Fig.2 taken on the line III-III thereof, and

Fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scale of a small portion of thestructure shown in Fig. 3.

Our invention is particularly applicable to electric ranges used inhotels, which ranges, in general, are of the heavy duty type, that is,they are of relatively heavy construction, and the amount of electricenergy which is translated into heat in the heating elements isrelatively large so that the heating elements and their immediatesupporting members operate at a relatively high temperature. It becomesnot only desirable but necessary that the supports for the heating elesoments be such that they can expand and contract freely without stressingany other portion of the range structure, so that buckling or warping ofthe heater-supports is prevented.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawing, we

have there shown a range designated generally by the numeral 11, whichrange structure includes an oven portion 12 having a suitable door 13 atthe front thereof, which door is hinged at the bottom and is providedwith a latch 14. Other walls, not shown in detail, are providedincluding, of course, back, side and bottom walls and a structuretherein for supporting these walls, but as this structure may be of anydesired type and construction, it will not be described in detail andonly such portions as are particularly pertinent to our invention willbe described in detail.

We provide a plurality of electric hot plates 16 and 17 at the top ofthe range, each hot plate embodying a metal plate having a plurality ofgrooves 18 in the underside thereof in which is located an electricresistor member 19 suitably insulated from the metal of the plate by amass of electric insulating material 21. While we prefer to utilize aheating element constructed in accordance with the teachings of BackerReissue Patent No. 16,340, we do not desire to be limited thereto, buthave illustrated and described a specific construction of a heatingelement or heating unit or hot plate in order to clearly set forth thegeneral type of such heating element or hot plate.

The plurality of heating elements is supported on an extended metalframe, shown more particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and to bedescribed hereinafter, which extended metal frame is supported in arelatively heavy rigid skeleton frame 22, which, as shown in thedrawing, may be made up of fabricated members of substantially angle-barshape. However, while we use angle-bar members mainly for the reasonthat we can thereby build up easily and at relatively little expense aheavy and unyielding frame which is located at the top of the otherportions of the range structure, we do not desire to be limited to 95the use of angle-bar members. Any suitable or desired means may beprovided for securing the frame 22 at the top of the range.

The extended metal frame members for directly supporting the heatingelements 16 may include a pair of angle-bar members 23 and 24, whichextend longitudinally and horizontally of the skeleton frame 22. It alsoincludes a pair of laterally extending an le-bar members 26 and 27, theends of which are suitably welded to the angle-bar members 23 and 24adjacent the ends thereof, as is shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. A pairof angle-bar members 28 and 29 placed back to back extend laterally andcentrally of the members 23 and 24, and are welded thereto at theiradjacent and engaging portions. While members 26 and 27 extend onlybetween anglebar members 23 and 24, the members 28 and 29 extendtherebeyond, as is shown in Fig. 2.

Means for resiliently supporting the extended metal members 23, 24, 26,27, 28 and 29 from the skeleton metal frame 22 includes particularly aplurality of relatively short angle-bar members 31, 32, 33, 34, 36 and37. As may be noted by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing, angle-barmembers 31, 32, 34 and 36 are relatively very short and have one webportion thereof extending substantially parallel with the angle-barmember 22 at the side of the range, and have only the tip ends of thisweb welded to the respective angle-- bar members 22. The ends of theother web portion are welded to the ends of angle-bar members 23 and 24,as may be noted in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

Angle-bar members 33 and 37 extend parallel to the angle-bar members offrame 22 to which they are secured, as is shown more particularly inFig. 4 of the drawing, the weld therebetween being located at the outeredge of one of the web portions. The ends of angle-bar members 28 and 29are welded thereto, as is shown in Fig. 4. It may be noted particularlythat the connecting anglebar members 33 and 37 of relatively shortlength do not extend parallel to one web portion of the support 22 towhich that web portion is welded, but that they extend angularly awaytherefrom.

The control of the plurality of heating elements 16 may be effected by aplurality of switches 38, which have been shown generally only. Therespective hot plates or heating elements 16 are directly supported byadjustable bolts 39, four such bolts being provided for each heatingelement and four such heating elements being utilized in the extendedmetal members and within the rigid frame 22 in the embodiment shown inthe drawing. The use of a lock nut on the bolts 39, which extendupwardly through certain of the angle-bar members or through two ofthem, makes possible the exact adjustment of the upper smooth surfacesof all of the heating elements so that they will be located in onehorizontal plane whereby a level and even surface is provided at the topof the range for receiving cooking utensils.

The amount of energy translated into heat in these heating units isrelatively large, and it may happen that at the times of greatest demandfor food and for quick delivery thereof, the upper surface of one ormore of the heating elements may be operated at almost red heat. Thismeans that the metal supporting members closely adjacent to the heatingelements will be raised in temperature and will, therefore, expandlongitudinally. The mounting of the angle-bar members hereinbeforedescribed and effected by welding an end portion thereof to a flexingconnecting member between the expanding metal bar and the rigid framewhich is resilient and which, therefore, permits the expansion of theextended metal members without stressing the rigid skeleton frame to anyappreciable extent. When the heating unit is deenergized, thetemperature thereof and of the supporting metal members will be reducedand the latter will contract, but without stressing the rigid frame. Itis obvious also that the metal bars directly beneath the heatingelements may expand without warping, buckling or bending, so that thetop surfaces of the hot plates will remain in their original positionsduring repeated cycles of heating and cooling.

The device embodying our invention thus provides a relatively simpleconstruction in a heavy duty electric range for ensuring that thesupporting members for the heating elements shall be free to expand andcontract relatively to a rigid frame without unduly stressing the rigidframe or without warping or buckling themselves. The flexing connectingmembers are free as an assembly, to yield in two different directionscorresponding to the directions in which the supportingframe membersextend.

Various modifications may be made in the device embodying our inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and we desire,therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as areimposed by the prior art or 110 are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an electric range, a relatively heavy and unyielding main skeletonframe, a heating-element-supporting frame within the main frame, 115 andyielding means including a plurality of relatively short angle-barmembers having their opposite ends rigidly secured to the two frames forsupporting the heatingelement-supporting frame from the main frame.

2. In an electric range having a relatively rigid outer main metalframe, and an auxiliary metal frame therewithin for supporting a heatingelement, means including yielding metal members having their oppositeends rigidly secured to the 125 two frames to support the auxiliaryframe from the main frame and prevent expansion of the auxiliary fromunduly stressing the main frame.

ORA A. COLBY. 13G KARL EHRGOTT.

